Swiss legal committee rejects on line gambling website blocking idea

The Legal Affairs Committee of the Swiss National Council has nixed new regulations which would have blocked access to online gambling sites in Switzerland, according to local media reports Tuesday.

Our readers will recall that earlier this year, the Council of States voted in favour of measures proposed by the Federal Council to block sites offering online gambling to Swiss IP addresses at the behest of land gambling companies afraid of the impact of online gaming competition on their businesses.

However, the Legal Affairs Committee has voted 13 to 12 to remove internet blocking from pending legislation. Instead, the new framework allows the Federal Gaming Commission to warn and, if necessary, prosecute sites operating in contravention of anti-gambling legislation.

In five years’ time, if further enforcement is necessary, the Federal Council can put in place technical measures, the Committee ruled.

The new articles replace the draft Articles 80 to 90 in the Money Games Bill.